Thanks to an invitation from Cate Coulacos Prato, features editor at Quilting Arts/Cloth Paper Scissors, we became part of a great book that has just been released by Interweave, "Mixed-Media Self Portraits". All of the women listed below have contributed their images and many "how to's" to the book!

Donna Anderson
Ricki Arno
Kathie Briggs
Juliana Coles
Debbi Crane
Larissa Davis
Susan Else
Karen Fricke
Janet Ghio
Chrysti Hydeck
Carol Kemp
Katie Kendrick
Jane LaFazio
Sylvia Luna
Loretta Marvel
Jenn Mason
Karen Michel
Kimberly Montagnese
Kelli Perkins
Yvonne Porcella
Cheryl Prater
Lesley Riley
Kelly Rae Roberts
Mary Beth Schwartzenberger
Beryl Taylor
K. Wayne Thornley
Elin Waterston
Linda Edkins Wyatt

Al and I both started without knowing it, with a self portrait that we had done in a class. After scanning and printing it out, we started the projects. I printed mine onto transfer paper and then to cloth. Al continued hers by coloring in the printed image and then translating it into cloth. We both struggled in our own special ways with time constraints being the main issue. Running Artgirlz takes up more time than ever imagined, and I still always feel about 3 weeks behind. Having a project like this forced us to focus on pencils, chalks, fabrics and paints for at least a little while.

It was great going through all of our boxes of Stuff looking for just the right thing to go into my box...I loved finding those special scraps of fabric to help send the message...

Al spent a lot of time painting the inside of her box...putting on color, scraping and sanding it off...applying it again...She then stitched a version of the paper self, placed them together and into her box!

I searched, cut, stitched and glued things together. Using mat medium, I collaged the inside walls of the box with words and images, added a paint wash on the outside.

Then that day comes that you just have to send the project off and then it's on to the next thing. We have had the book for a week or so and it is very inspiring to see all of the different approaches to oneself.

Check it out and give it a try. You can use any materials, any size, any part of yourself. The hardest part for me is turning off that pesky judge and just enjoying the process!

Take some time to wander through the sites listed above...always a twist here and there! Have at it and have fun trying something new!

Always...well, mostly trying...

We have unpacked from Art - Is in Connecticut! We had a group of at least 40 women making paper crowns on Saturday. It seemed like everyone had a great time, cutting, stamping, gluing,
coloring their crowns and all took on quite a royal posture!! Looking forward to spending more time there next year. Will keep everyone posted!

Al got hit with a nasty cold and is finally feeling a bit better. Midge is off to LA for a few days to see her daughter Beth. Sue and I are packing up again and heading across the bridges and the Sea and Stars Quilt Show in Portsmouth, RI. Looking forward to sharing our wares with local stitchers!!

Then Al and I will head to Houston for a couple of dayz at Quilt Market. We will be supporting
Brewer and their sales staff, helping to get Artgirlz out there in the world. We will be doing a School House Presentation Friday afternoon. We will be in the Brewer Booth on Sat from 2-4 and Sun from 10-12 doing demos and photo ops with Artgirlz props!

Somewhat in denial about my own cold situation....

Keep encouraging folks to vote....did we tell you that our Obama sign was ripped off! Eekkkk...

Trying to get a post in before another month flies by...I am so behind in my social networking!!
About three weeks ago we took Artgirlz on the road locally, and did the Farmers Market at Casey Farms and the Peace Festival in Peacedale, RI. We sold some goodies and mostly had paper, glue and scissors set up so that the kidz could do their thing!! And they did!! We all love watching the kidz get into it...concentrating, looking for just the right thing, and explaining the story behind their decisions!!
This week we are pulling it together for the Art-Is gathering in Cromwell Ct. I think that all of the class kits are together, so it is the rest of the tasks that go into preparing for a show! It should be fun, and I think that we have about 50 folks signed up to to a Saturday Night Extravaganza with the Artgirlz!!


We have had lots of tasks around the yard, and we decided to do a second blog, TheGreengirlz on which to put our farming stories. That will leave this site for Artgirlz business and creative updates!!

I also wanted to say that we will not be in Houston for Festival this year. It was a very hard decision, based on the financials involved with the whole event. Al and I will be at Market for a couple of days but will miss seeing all of our buddies at the Festival!!!

Working with our web person, we are putting a new shopping cart together and hope to have it up in a couple of weeks! That is very exciting for us! In the mean time, our Holiday Goodies are available from our current store. New Halloween Kits for your fall creative times! If you go to the "What's New" page of the website, you will find directions for downloading...Spiders, Pumpkins, Witches and Ghosts...

We are having a pin making extravaganza day here at Artgirlz. The good news is that we have so many orders and so few pins! So it's an all out push with sewing machines and needles and thread!

We are also dealing with our dead printer that has put a large damper on things since last week. We thought Xerox was going to approve us for their "free machine, you buy all of your ink directly from us" program. Now it seems like too many managers have to talk to their managers which is now seeming like a way to blow us off...Heading to Providence to work on that!

And finally, I worked on the defaced Obama sign and am ready to put it back up!
It is getting more interesting!!

In the midst of attending to many tasks around Artgirlz Nation, we harvested of our honey. Midge and Al did a masterful job last spring getting our very first honey. Sue and I were on an emergency vacation in St. Augustine when we received a phone call from the girlz saying that they were up to their eyeballs in honey...in the kitchen. Using foil tents over the stove, they managed to harvest a nice crop.

This time we had a lot of honey and borrowed a honey extractor from the Rhode Island Bee Keepers and spun out over 100 pounds of honey. Our little bees have been very very busy!!! We gathered glass jars, cleaned them up and got them ready for the goods.

Al, Sue and Midge brought the frames from the hives to the porch. After lifting a frame out of the hive, they used a soft brush to remove the bees. The walk from the hives to the porch put a bit more space between the bees and their goods. I then stacked them in plastic bins.


I think that Midge was the only one that avoided getting a sting or two.


We had two plastic containers filled with frames for our first round of spinning.
After combing over the tops of the frames with a fork to break up the wax, the frames were put into the extractor, two at a time.

Spinning the frames forces the honey to the sides of the container and down through the spout,

into the first strainer and into the bucket!


The very first drops!

After a second straining the honey through a finer sieve, we bottled it up.


We learned this weekend that we probably should have waited a couple of days to jar it up. The time allows the little air bubbles to rise to the top. For the most part we are all very pleased with our project. We have learned many tricks and have so much more to learn.
We are grateful to all of the local bee people that have guided us along!

and all of the while a whole gang of babies was gathering by the pond and were drying off after a rain storm!

Our Obama Sign was defaced last night....
going out to fix it up and put it back up!

Whew, trying to get pics up from last weeks farmers market before we go back this morning! It is tasting day in Charlestown, with vendors offering tid bits for the shoppers. Although it is hard to believe, it is also Labor Day Weekend. How did that happen??? Sue and I went to check out the market at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, RI on Saturday. Known as the Coastal Growers Market, we will be there with our goodies next week providing glue, paper and crayons for the kiddies!!


We worked very hard here at the Artgirlz Farm! Sue and Al checked the bees. We will be harvesting honey soon! We pulled down so many bull briars, removed poison ivy, scrubby brush and tiny trees to help keep the mosquitoes down, and open up the back! Midge worked on the chicken coop, making a safe and healthy little yard! They are growing so quickly and getting used to all of their mothers!

As mentioned, I made a big Obama sign to put on the fence and have been reprimanded by the Building Inspector. Haven't had time to take it down.......or cut it into 4ft sections...


We have decided to get a new Shopping Cart for our online store, so there will be a new look to that portion of the website very soon!!! so it's off to get some chow, head to the farmers market and do some Artgirlz Brainstorming!

Freedom of Speech?

It is quiet at Artgirlz Nation at the moment. Things will start moving more quickly as the minutes tick by. I have been prepping images this week for the next post. We worked our butts off last weekend pulling poison ivy, prickery vines that grow up through trees, cutting brush, tweaking the chicken coop, etc. I also took a used drop cloth, house paint from the cupboard and made a big Obama sign for our very long fence that faces the road.

So who shows up yesterday at lunch time but the building inspector telling me that I have to take the sign down because it is too big. I questioned the private property issue and that didn't work.
It seems that you can only have political signs up for 60 days prior to the election and that they can be no bigger than 16 sq ft.

So we are sitting tight for the moment...
in the mean time, take every opportunity to express your self!!!!!!!

We had the nicest time last Friday at the Charlestown Farmers Market. Midge had talked with a couple of folks about setting up a table and doing arty things with the kids! We were right next to our buddies George and Cathy Hill of Indigo Farm. The weather was a bit iffy at the start, but it turned into a wonderful morning for all that attended! The girlz had packed up Artgirlz goodies, glue sticks, scissors, felt pieces and some official product. We set up a little table with the supplies and Midge started recruiting the kiddies! It was an amazing feeding frenzy with glue sticks flying around, paper and felt stuck in just the right place, words and shapes applied with love!


Cathy Hill, mentioned above, is not only a most wonderful grower, but an inspiring yoga teacher and member of the dance group "Ladies of the Rolling Pin". The Ladies and their families were hosting the British version of themselves, "The Wreckers". They all danced at the Market and added a festive international flair! They went on to entertain folks all over the state!

Having the community Farmer's Market a half mile from our house is an amazing gift! It has a wonderful warm feeling and has been a place to meet local farmers, bee keepers, mushroom growers, purveyors of sea food, interesting neighbors and new friends! We never leave without a couple of bags filled to the brim with beautiful goods to add to our CSA! By showing up and sharing our glue sticks, we were invited to the Coastal Growers Market, Peacedale Peace Festival, and The Alternative Food Cooperative.

Had the slightest hint of Fall the other day. Just some little smell in the air, change of wind direction, quality of the light, darkness coming a bit earlier every day. With that in mind, we have put together some ideas for the Pumpkin, Ghost and Witch events that are heading our way. All ideas are suggestions only and ready for additions and alterations! This Spidie has been hanging out on my desk seemingly exhausted!

We have a Ghost and Witch Pin Bundle for sale on our website that will get you set up for making these little characters...Not to be missed is the lovely bag of Wool Felt Beads for your Pumpkin and Spider making pleasure!! Check out the simple directions for these Projects...great for a girlfriend getaway weekend, party prep or activity with the kids, presents for the grandkids...We'd love to see what you did!

Download Directions from the Artgirlz What's New Page:
Ghosts and Witches
Pumpkins and Spiders


SLIGHTLY SHORTENED GHOST PIN DIRECTIONS

Insert little bead into the mini cone and push up towards the top of the cone to create a head.

Stitch the gauze onto the cone just under the head at the neck.

Stitch little hands onto the side of cone.

Add facial features with black thread, tiny felt shapes, beads, needle felting or permanent marking pen!!

Sew or hot glue pin back onto the back of your Ghost.

Here is Witchy being rescued from evil forces by her Spider Friends!

Picked up three more chicks last Thursday to go with little Miss #1 Chickie...Midge and I went back to the Washington County Fair to find them. They are smaller than their other sister! I have to say you just want to sit and watch them peep around their little area. They like their house much better now than they did the first night!


It is a beautiful day today and hope to get a lot of good stuff done! Hoping to get the newsletter ready to go for tomorrow! Been working on setting up my new fancy iphone...I feel very grateful and spoiled!!! Here is a picture taken with said phone of Allison and our talented, prolific Linda Willis starting off the day at Artgirlz Nation.

Yesterday was filled with deliveries here at Artgirlz Nation! Felt Arrived from Nepal. Our new Freezer arrived to fill up with goodies for the winter. Speaking of winter, our pellet stove arrived and was installed...

The best thing was a little munchkin that arrived to go with our Chicken Coop! Midge and Al headed for the Washington County Fair first thing in the morning and pick up a 6 week old Blue Silkie...we haven't settled on a name yet: China Blue, Twitch, FeFe are a few of the options! Off to the fair again this morning to get her a sister! I let her out this morning and she immediately found and chowed a juicy worm!

The Good Folks at Cloth Paper Scissors are pre-selling Cate Prato's "Mixed Media Self Portraits". The books will be available in October and will make great Holiday Gifts!!! There is a link on that page that will offer you a sneak peak inside of the Book...My sis and I have work in the Book and can't Wait to see it!

Spent all day Monday working on Picasa Slide shows of Artgirlz Samples and Needle Felting 101! You can watch them on the Side Bar of this Blog or click on the images on the right and they will take you to the Picasa Site. Will continue to add to the visuals for Ideas and Instructions!!

Happy to say that the links page is settled thanks to our Faithful Web Queen! Thanks Norma for fixing all of my code issues!!

Off for some breaky and more work!!
Keep Making Great Things!!

I thought that my link project on the website went well yesterday until my son Don who works for Adobe called this morning to tell me that all of the links went to Margot Potters site. Love you Margot! So then I tried to fix it and Norma our web person is going to be so annoyed with me for trying to "fix" code....

We are back from the Bernina excitement in Kansas City, MO and the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA. I actually got some work done today. I am also feeling like a Bubble Girl stuck in the Bubble House due to an unbelievable number of voracious mosquitoes buzzing around our estate!


Bernina introduced with great enthusiasm their new, fancy most amazing sewing machine, The 8 Series. I think my sister bought her first house for the same cost, but for folks that have the dough, it is a beauty!


We met a lot of great new stitchers, did our first-fourth powerpoint presentations which were included in our class and lecture schedule, had delicious frozen custard, and perhaps russled up a few more official converts to Artgirlz Nation. It was less stressful that the having your own booth! Didn't see much of Kansas City, MO except through our 29th floor window. Hallmark world headquarters was in the middle of the view.


Then onto Long Beach for the International Quilt Festival. We stayed with Lisa Engelbrecht (above) who was a very gracious host! We were very excited to Lisa's new book and were very grateful to receive one of our own. We were joined by Traci Bautista (below) who is always entertaining with tails of the gypsy life, teaching, storage units, 100 lb. suitcases and generally trying to figure it all out like the rest of us!

The show was great with crowds lining up the first morning and filling the aisles and consuming the too small amount of food that was brought into the venue for all of those hungry women!

We sold lots of wool beads and charms. Saw old friends, met new ones, had a lot of laughs...One of my new favorites was Justin, the very charming son of our rubber stamp maker, Harry Ortiz. He looked better than anyone in The Artgirlz Crown!



Thanks to Lisa, Traci, Sarah, the girlz at Brewer and Bernina for making it a great trip! It only took us about 4 daze to recover. I am happy to say that this morning, after 4 years of have 3 links on our website, I added a bunch!!!!! Hope to keep up that good work!